Next Generation Mustang

[drewzx3]

The only 70's model im a fan of is the 70

[sjmeyer]

The next Mustang will have to have IRS - and as I understand it it is definitely coming. Also I understand as a part of continuous improvement Ford plans to shed about 200 lbs.

 

So here goes: I'm sure I'll get complaints but - how about an performance oriented AWD Mustang, after all Mustangs are quadra-peds? If Ford's benchmark for the Mustang is now the M3 this has to at least have crossed their minds.

 

And since the M3 is dropping the V-8 for a 6, Ford will have to start giving more goodies to the V6 'stang perhaps upping the governed speed limit?

[mishtar]

This thinking that an I4 can't be in a Mustang and can't be an aspirational engine is old-man-thinking. This is the sort of thinking that got the domestics in trouble. Ford and Chevy shot themselves in the foot in the 90's by not having proper midsize entries (Taurus, Malibu, or Lumina or Impala) with an I4 that could match the ones in Accord and Camry. Keeping the crappy old V6s as the base models turned people off, it made them seem old tech. I'm sorry,but if an I4 can make 260-275 hp then no one, NO ONE, has any business thinking that they are underpowered or undesireable. Remember, that is the same or more HP than the 199-2004 GT!!!!

 

 

Plus I am sure there are a lot of people who just want the Mustang for the look of the car and it's history and do not care about the power. Older people for example that want the nostalgia.

[Tico]

Here are the latest rumors about the 2016 Camaro:

 

http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f70/sixth-generation-camaro-what-we-know-99521/

 

I would guess a lot of this holds true for the Mustang since Chevy is just once again following Ford's lead....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[twintornados]

So does this mean that the next gen Chevrolet PPV will likewise be based on an Alpha platform?

[blksn8k2]

If some of these comments were posted on any Mustang enthusiast website they would be roundly dismissed. Afterall, they are the people who will be buying these cars. Just sayin...

[bifs66]

If some of these comments were posted on any Mustang enthusiast website they would be roundly dismissed. Afterall, they are the people who will be buying these cars. Just sayin...

 

A 68 yr old whose been buying Mustangs since 1965 adds a +1

[Big Vito]

smaller with IRS

[anthonynelson]

i am not convinced the mustang should ever again don a 4 cyclinder..we have been there and the car was pathetic..soooooooooooo..i say no on any 4 cylinder in the mustang...rest of your lineup is not bad though..other then i would for once and all place the mach 1 out to pasture and build a boss as the top model...shelby can go it alone or ford just should end it...it cost ford money prior to 1968 and it cost ford money today to prop up shelby.....

Us SVO owners would strongly disagree =]

[joiseystud]

For 50 years they can put Ecoboost in all models. Base will have a 400HP Ecoboost 3.5V6. The GT will be the GT600 with 5.0L V8 with twin turbos. The next year they will hack half a liter of each engine and leave the turbos to make the 50 year one special. The suspension will be redesigned to fully independent rear suspension. This will be the first super high power musting with Handling to match the power. It will be 40K fully loaded

[joiseystud]

I read that too. Perhaps non-retro is the way to go. I also remember a rep from Ford speaking about the new engines for '11 and how studies showed that buyers under 30 years of age won't even consider purchasing a V8. That stunned me. Back in the 80s when I was in my 20s I bought 4 new Mustang 5.0s (82 GT hatchback, 84 GT convertible, 85 GT convertible, & 89 LX hatchback) and never even considered the other engines available. The times have changed.

 

The next Mustang certainly needs to be hundreds of pounds lighter and probably a bit smaller on the outside. I would expect it to be RWD only, although a Lincoln version could offer AWD (think Nissan 370Z & Infiniti G37). I would expect a 250 HP turbo EB2.0L I4 as optional over a standard 200 HP 2.4L I4. Perhaps that would be enough for the base models while a 375 HP EB 3.5L V6 could be standard for the GT model and the 5.0L V8 standard on the Boss 302/Bullitt/Shelby GT/whatever.

 

I really like the retro look. I would maybe do something like what Dodge did with the Challenger and Chevy with the Camaro. A retro futuristic approach. Make it so you can definately see the retro lines beneath but with a contemporary design.

[joiseystud]

For 50 years they can put Ecoboost in all models. Base will have a 400HP Ecoboost 3.5V6. The GT will be the GT600 with 5.0L V8 with twin turbos. The next year they will hack half a liter of each engine and leave the turbos to make the 50 year one special. The suspension will be redesigned to fully independent rear suspension. This will be the first super high power musting with Handling to match the power. It will be 40K fully loaded

 

Oh yeah. I would also make sure to use the finest materials ever put into the mustang ( like the new explorer high quality materials)

[FordBuyer]

smaller with IRS

 

If the next generation Mustang sells in the 75,000-100,000 sales range, it will have to get smaller with new CAFE rules coming and EB I4 will be in its future with V8 option making up less and less percentage of sales. Not too small if there is to be Lincoln version, but a few hunderd pounds lighter. 30+ mpg has to be new norm. Anything less will mean gas guzzler status as fuel mileage averages reset. And if there is to be Lincoln version, IRS is must.

[FordBuyer]

I really like the retro look. I would maybe do something like what Dodge did with the Challenger and Chevy with the Camaro. A retro futuristic approach. Make it so you can definately see the retro lines beneath but with a contemporary design.

 

I don't know about "retro," but certainly a lot of Mustang design cues so that it's immediately identifiable as a Mustang. Certainly muscular also and maybe a wider stance in back.

[silvrsvt]

The Mustang isn't going to get any smaller...look at the BMW 1 and 3 series...the 1 is a shortened 3 series with nearly no improvment of weight. The car isn't that big to start with, its roughly the sized of a CD sized car, where as its contempories are coupes based on D sized sedans. Not to mention making the car smaller isn't going to do any favors with interior space.

 

If you want a smaller car, go get a Focus ST..making the Mustang smaller isnt' going to fix anything...and just look at car weights over the past 20-30 years..they've all gone up. If anything, Ford should look at keeping the current weight as close as possible to it is now, which would be a better goal. I can see maybe losing a 100lbs or so, but its not like its going to lose 500 lbs.

 

When the 50th Annveristy Mustang comes along, I forsee IRS, a Turbo I4 as an option in base Mustangs (if it can pull over 32 MPG in it), a limited model with the Ecoboost V6, the GT still with a V8 and a Shebly with a Turbo or SuperCharged V8 from the GT.

[Moosetang]

The Mustang isn't going to get any smaller...look at the BMW 1 and 3 series...the 1 is a shortened 3 series with nearly no improvment of weight.

 

If Ford is designing a new platform for the new mustang, they can get weight out of it. The 1-series and the Camaro are porkers because they were created on shortened platforms for larger sedans. But that result doesn't carry over to spec platforms, otherwise the current Mustang would weigh the same as the Camaro. If they set out to create a lighter Mustang, they certainly can depending on cost/size compromises they're willing to make designing a smaller and/or lighter platform.

[silvrsvt]

If Ford is designing a new platform for the new mustang, they can get weight out of it. The 1-series and the Camaro are porkers because they were created on shortened platforms for larger sedans. But that result doesn't carry over to spec platforms, otherwise the current Mustang would weigh the same as the Camaro. If they set out to create a lighter Mustang, they certainly can depending on cost/size compromises they're willing to make designing a smaller and/or lighter platform.

 

 

The point your missing is that the Mustang isn't going to get an all new platform...its most likely going to wind up with a consideribly modified current platform with IRS and there isn't going to be much oppertunity to make a signifiant change in size or weight with it.

 

Look at the weights from the Fox to the SN95 (which is just a modified FOX, which had a wonderful flexible flier platform which wouldn't cut it today) to the S197:

 

Fox (1981) 2,601-2,692

SN95 (2001) 3,290-3,469 (Fixed the flexible flyer platform plus safety improvements)

S197(2005) 3,373-4,040

 

Overall the S197 is bigger and leaps better NHV then SN95 and doesn't weight that much more....will shrinking the S197 down to a FOX/SN95 platform size save weight? Not really.

[Moosetang]

Ok, two things.

 

First, you said the Mustang wouldn't shrink, and wouldn't loose weight if it did, and cited the 1 vs 3-Series BMWs. I pointed out that example is not absolute, a platform engineered for lightness can do the job.1-Series and Camaro are overweight because of their parent platforms, and could be considerably lighter on platforms engineered to be.

 

Secondly I think it's a mistake to assume a considerably modified S197 platform (if that is what the 2014.5 Mustang ends up with) would be so tightly stuck to the current platform's limits. S197 is itself considerably modified from it's DEW roots, which greatly reduced the cost and took some weight out as well. Ford's engineers are pretty good at their job, I wouldn't count them out.

[Bryan1]

What model year will be the new Mustang?

[Billyecoboost]

Honestly I am so obsessed with the current model that it depresses me to even think about a new model. But hey if I buy a 5.0 now I can get a trade for the new one!

But to speculate I hope ford puts in something that changes that axle. They have done about everything they can with the current. I know the "new" ford not only has it in them but also has made me excited like my dad was with the 64 when he was a kid.

[3OhTwo]

They say the new mustang is going to be Lighter and smaller. It will also have an irs. I wouldnt mind any of these changes. The mustang needs to go on a diet.

Edited May 2, 2011 by 3OhTwo

[silvrsvt]

Ok, two things.

 

First, you said the Mustang wouldn't shrink, and wouldn't loose weight if it did, and cited the 1 vs 3-Series BMWs. I pointed out that example is not absolute, a platform engineered for lightness can do the job.1-Series and Camaro are overweight because of their parent platforms, and could be considerably lighter on platforms engineered to be.

 

Secondly I think it's a mistake to assume a considerably modified S197 platform (if that is what the 2014.5 Mustang ends up with) would be so tightly stuck to the current platform's limits. S197 is itself considerably modified from it's DEW roots, which greatly reduced the cost and took some weight out as well. Ford's engineers are pretty good at their job, I wouldn't count them out.

 

The S197 and DEW really don't have any roots, they share maybe floor pans and how the fuel tank was setup under the rear seat....otherwise not much else shared there.

 

As for weight savings...depends on how Ford defines them....the Current Explorer is only 100lbs lighter then the old BOF Explorer...but its also a larger vehicle in size...look at the articles posted about its weight, seems like the weight savings was done through smoke and mirrors to a point.

 

I don't see the Mustang losing 500 lbs...its going to be lucky to loose 100 or 200 lbs in its next gen...but we sure aren't going back to the days of a 2500lb Mustang anytime soon.

 

 

 

 

 

[atvman]

I'm predicting it loses 200lb on average, putting the GT right at 3400lb. With a light power boost (430-450hp), the GT should run with today's GT500.

[dans07gt]

I'm just wondering where they might be holding the 50th anny. i herd rumors but nothing concrete.

[Ford Jellymoulds]

I'm just wondering where they might be holding the 50th anny. i herd rumors but nothing concrete.

 

Probably at Capel Manor in the UK as always 4th of July (Mmmm can't think why they chose that date). No doubt Goodwood Festival of Speed & Revival will also hold a big birthday party for the Mustang as well, but we have got to celebrate 50th years of the awesome e-type Jag first this year, won't miss that one.